LEARNER drivers are failing their test in huge numbers due to the state of the roads in West Cork, it has been claimed.

One driving instructor told how those sitting their test at West Cork’s only centre in Skibbereen face hazards including potholes, a lack of road markings at junctions, faded stop lines, sightlines blocked and confusing signage.

The Southern Star drove around some of the routes used for tests with the instructor last Friday morning to witness first-hand the daunting obstacles faced by learner drivers.

The first obstacle presents before they even leave the test centre, based at Skibbereen Rugby Club, where they must navigate several large potholes to get onto the road.

A Stop sign on the Baltimore Road is hidden by vegetation, while outside the town, signs are missing or there are no markings at several junctions.

The driving instructor, who did not wish to be named, said the road conditions and general upkeep of signage and line markings is the worst he has ever seen in his 16 years working.

‘I’ve never seen it so bad. It’s just continuous patch work and no maintenance on some of the roads,’ he said.

‘I teach young people to drive using the signs but in a lot of cases here signs are missing or obscured in foliage. A driver has to treat the numerous potholes on the roads like a parked car and signal to move around them. If there is a car behind them then they have to stop before they can signal,’ he said.

He added: ‘Some of the hedges are out to the white line which is very hard for people taking their tests on buses and trucks. If one continues to hit the mirror through no fault of their own it’s a fail in the test.’

Cork South West TD Michael Collins said people are failing their test in Skibbereen because stop lines and lane indicators are so worn that they are effectively invisible.

‘Badly faded road markings and poor surface conditions are contributing to learner driver failing their tests through no fault of their own,’ he said. ‘When road markings are worn away and surfaces left to deteriorate, it creates confusions and danger for every single person using these roads. People are expected to use roads riddled with potholes, poorly drained and badly marked, affecting road safety.’

The Irish Road Haulage Association (IRHA) claims the ‘broken’ driving test system is  overwhelmed. It added: ‘The majority of learn+er drivers are young people living in rural areas. They rely on their cars to get to college, farms and workplaces, all while paying exorbitant insurance.’

RSA figures show a pass rate for Skibbereen in 2025 at 54%. Extra testers were deployed to the centre last May and September. Cork County Council said it ‘implements a road resurfacing programme on an annual basis’.